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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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Daemen Moves Up To 17th In D2SIDA National Poll

| By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Wildcats Also Receiving Votes In Division II Coaches Poll

D2SIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL
NATIONAL MEDIA POLL
WEEK 9 - JANUARY 22, 2019
Rank School Pts. Record Previous
1. Bellarmine (12) 396 16-0 1
2. Northwest Missouri St. (4) 388 17-0 2
3. Indiana (Pa.) 363 15-1 3
4. St. Edward's 348 17-1 4
5. Nova Southeastern 336 14-1 5
6. Queens (N.C.) 305 17-2 6
7. Ashland 302 16-1 7
8. West Liberty 277 13-2 8
9. Point Loma 268 16-2 9
10. USC Aiken 258 15-1 10
11. St. Thomas Aquinas 224 15-2 11
12. West Texas A&M 218 18-3 16
13. St. Martin's 209 14-2 15
14. Lynn 177 14-2 17
T-15. UC San Diego 143 15-3 20
T-15. Washburn 143 13-3 T-24
17. DAEMEN 132 14-3 19
18. St. Anselm 111 14-2 21
19. Texas A&M-Commerce 90 14-3 11
20. Morehouse 85 14-2 14
21. Colorado School of Mines 71 14-3 RV
22. Lewis 67 12-3 NR
23. Findlay 64 14-3 13
24. UNC Pembroke 60 12-2 RV
25. Northern State 55 14-4 18
( ) - denotes first-place votes
AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team is ranked No. 17 in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national media poll for week nine of the 2018-19 season which was released this afternoon. It marks the third straight week that Daemen has been nationally ranked, moving up two spots after being ranked No. 19 last week.  

Daemen (14-3, 6-1 ECC) has won three straight and 12 of their last 14 games. Most recently, the Wildcats picked up nail-biting wins at Mercy College (75-74) and the University of Bridgeport (87-85), extending their ECC road winning streak to 12 straight games. The pair of victories moved Daemen to 7-2 this season in games decided by nine points or fewer. 

Junior guard Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) led the way at Mercy, scoring a season-high 24 points, including five in the last 21 seconds that helped Daemen erase a four-point deficit. Harris' late three-pointer - his career-high sixth of the game - pulled Daemen within one, and was followed by his steal and acrobatic layup which proved to be the difference. The win marked the 350th in the career of head coach Mike MacDonald. 

Against ECC preseason favorite Bridgeport, redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) came up with a crucial blocked shot in a tie game with 1:13 to play, then made the go-ahead free throws 16 seconds later. The critical plays came as he was in the midst of recording his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. 

Sischo, who was recently named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List, continues to lead Daemen in both scoring (20.9 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg). He ranks second in the ECC in both categories, as well as in field goal percentage (.591). He also ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders in scoring (38th), rebounding (13th), field goal percentage (29th) and double-doubles (4th).

Also making a statistical mark on the national level is redshirt junior forward Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) who presently leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage (50.5%). Redband has knocked down 53-of-105 three-point attempts this season, and he leads the ECC in three-point field goals. He's used his assault from the three-point line to contribute a career-high 14.8 points per game. 

Harris, Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) and Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) are also producing. Harris owns a trio of 20-point games this season, and is averaging 11.8 points per game with a team-high 28 steals. Hamilton matched his career-high with 26 points in a win over nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College earlier this month, and is averaging 12.8 points per game with a team-high 42 assists. Lee Yaw ranks first in the ECC in field goal percentage (59.2), and giving the team 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

With 13 returning players off last season's 22-8 team, expectations were high for MacDonald's club at the season's outset. The Wildcats were picked second in the ECC preseason poll, and 22nd in the Division II Bulletin preseason national poll, while also receiving top-25 votes in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and D2SIDA preseason national polls. The Wildcats are also presently ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA East Region media poll which was released yesterday, and are once again receiving votes in the NABC national poll.  

Daemen returns to action this Friday, Jan. 25 with the first of two meetings this season against three-time defending ECC champion Saint Thomas Aquinas College. STAC, which is ranked 11th in this week's D2SIDA national poll (and 12th in the NABC poll), and Daemen have each experienced their share of success of late. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, STAC (117 wins) and Daemen (95 wins) have the most wins among all ECC and New York State Division II programs. 

Friday's matchup features the top-two ranked teams in the region, and it tips off a three-game homestand for the Wildcats. Daemen also welcomes the University of the District of Columbia (Sunday, Jan. 27) and Roberts Wesleyan College (Thursday, Jan. 31) to Lumsden Gymnasium during the homestand. 

The D2SIDA national media poll is voted on by sports information professionals from around the country.

For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.



 
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